Gone Country

For the last couple years, Grandpop and Grandma Joan come out to Colorado to visit over Labor Day weekend. This year (in a last ditch effort) we tried to get Rah Rah and my step brother and sister to come out and visit as well. It is very rare when we all get together for a visit. The last two times were My wedding to Handy Man and Kurt's wedding last October. At this rate - I only foresee two more family photos. 

My step sister, Ash, decided to hop a plane and come visit her niece and nephew - we know they don't really come to visit Handy Man or I. They only come to visit my Brown Eyed Girl and Mr Blue Eyes Little John.

Not long after Ash arrived at out little house on the prairie, she got the itch... the inner cowgirl in her came out and she wanted to ride a horse. 

Well she was in luck. Lord knows I have horses. 

We drug out PC and saddled her up. My Brown Eyed Girl was over the moon excited to get to ride PC TWO days in a row. 

I could tell how excited PC was as well... 

She has been reading up on the word 'retirement' and I wouldn't be surprised if I were served with her resignation letter soon.

My Brown Eyed Girl got PC all warmed up for Ash.

Unfortunately, my Brown Eyed Girl is not a huge fan of sharing her horse. 

Come ride double - you bet!

Get off and let someone else have a turn - fat chance. 

So after a constant outpouring of little whining, I gave her a new job - handler. That way I could become photographer girl.   

She loved it! 

What a ham...

She even got to lead extra special cargo... Ash AND Little John.

Doesn't the 'ol nag look like she is loving her job?!?!

Of course it didn't last forever.

I know... not the picture of safety. But trust me, PC would rather lay down and die than get up and go. You can see how excited she is. Oozing with enthusiasm. 

A Kodak moment!

Little John

Until further notice, Mr Blue Eyes shall be known as... Little John.

I don't know what it is about this kid and the toilet and toilet paper. My Brown Eyed Girl could have cared less about TP. And thank God she never put things IN the toilet.

I have already caught Little John washing Barbie in the toilet.

A couple weeks ago I found four pairs of My Brown Eyed Girls underwear floating. (His obsession with underwear is a whole other "issue" that he has.)

I honestly can not tell you how many times I have encountered this in the last week. Thank goodness I have a lot of experience rolling polo leg wraps - there shall be no wasted TP in this household!

Well unless you are my Brown Eyed Girl. She has been restricted to a three sheet maximum for tushy wiping. That girl is hell bent on clogging the toilet.

I Want It HOT

I love being a mom. And although I wouldn't trade it for the world, there are a few things that I do miss.

I miss what hot food tastes like. Not just that first bite, but the ability to eat the entire meal while it's still hot or even warm for that matter.

As I look down at my meal tonight, I am depressed by the fact that my milk is the same room temperature of my spaghetti. I miss hot dinner and ice cold milk in the evenings.

I come home after a long day, thaw out meat and slave over a hot stove, ankle biters screaming, wining, and carrying on. Drain the noodles, dish everyone up, serve the kids, and sit down to eat.

I take one glorious, hot bite of my dinner. I savor every morsel I am able to cram into my mouth. Before I can twirl another bite...

The phone rings, Handy Man is just leaving the office. He asks about my day - Handy Man is not a talker. Unless dinner is ready and I have just sat down.

I resume eating. Two more acceptable bites later, my Brown Eyed Girl needs a wash cloth to wipe her hands.

One or two more bites...

Mr Blue Eyes drops his sippy cup (again) and I have to wrestle the dog under the table to get to it first. I am not even worried about the fact Boji licked the top clean - Mr Blue Eyes is the second child and Boji did clean the floor for me at the sam time. One less task on my list tonight.

Before I can scoop up another bite, my Brown Eyed Girl is done. Back to the sink to rinse the wash cloth again. I get her cleaned up and help her out of her booster seat. Off she runs.

I settle back in. I take a quick sip of warm milk and venture in for two more bites.

That's all I get in before I hear an echoing, "Mom! Come. Wipe. My. Tuuuusheeeee!"

That was exactly the next disturbance I was hoping for this evening, smack dab intend middle if dinner.

We take care of business.

Back to the table and I realize Mr Blue Eyes is finished and threatening to jump from his high chair.

Back to the sink, rinse and repeat.

Where is Handy Man during all this you ask... Still at work. Curse hail season - but thank goodness for overtime.

Finally everyone else is happy, tummies full and off to play until bed time. I settle back down to my dinner. It's about half gone...

AND COLD!

What I wouldn't give for one dinner, at home, that was HOT!

Barn Man



Mr Blue Eyes has been walking for a while now. He has been content to just toddle around on the porch, barefoot, the sun on his back.

 

Have shoes - will travel.

 

I am suddenly having flashbacks from when my Brown Eyed Girl was this age. When she grew brave enough to step off the porch and venture out on her own to explore. There are a lot of things to explore out here at the little house in the prairie. Plenty of places to go on 40 acres. Pastures. Barns. long, long dirt roads.

 

An old familiar heart palpitation returns. The one that made me cuss not having a fenced back yard for two years. Just a little area to contain my roaming children.

 

I wouldn't mind his will to roam so much if he would just answer me when I called his name with a, "Hey Mom! I'm right here! Don't worry, I didn't got too far. Just watching the horses."

 

Unfortunately - they never answer me.

 

I am forced to scour the property for little wondering shoes. Shouting their names - disguising the edge of panic in my voice. Thanking God our neighbors live so far away. Suppressing the building anxiety attack. Praying he didn't get too far. Cussing again for that little picket fence out back where I could deposit my children and disregard my parental responsibilities for five minutes to pee in piece and quiet...  

 

And then I find him...

 

 

Walking down the driveway. A man on a journey.

 

 

We are in need of a little redirecting.

 

 

I can't believe how big he's getting.

 

He's not my little baby anymore. Every day becoming my little boy.

 

 

Young man, it's time you meet the barn.

 

You're tour guide today will be Miss Kitty. Miss Kitty, he is all yours.

 

 

Those are the stalls. The horses live in there when the snow flies.

 

 

 

When your doggies get tired, the wind is blow'n or you just need a sit and ponder your day, the barn is a great place.

 



 

 

 

 

One of the best views you'll find is from my barn door looking out over the prairie.

 

 

 

 

I couldn't help but love a couple of these photos and with a little help from my friend Instragram, I have these great memories of my little barn man.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mr Blue Eyes, Mommy loves ya! 

 

 

Breathtaking!

I woke up this morning, sat out on the deck and looked out over the National Park and Shadow Mountain Reservoir. The osprey were soaring over the lake, no doubt catching their breakfast. My Brown Eyed Girl showed Mr Blue Eyes how to drop pine needles through a knot hole in the deck floor in their pajamas. Boji laid sprawled out in the early morning sun chewing on a stick. The rest of my family sleeping in.

I feel so luck to be in this moment. So lucky for new beginnings, a new morning with my family, but most of all for my life.

Toofers

Today I can't help but ask myself where the time goes. The greatest part of being a parent is nurturing your children and watching them grow.

In 16 short months Mr Blue Eyes has evolved from a tiny limp noodle in my arms to a walking, screeching, laughing, borderline toddler. He's learning to color and hold a crayon, open doors, express his wants, likes and dislikes - it's pretty easy to tell when he is not happy. My sweet little boy has entered the hitting phase. It's very calculated and planned out. He cocks his arm back, wrinkles up his brow and with all his might unleashes his furry accompanied by a fierce grunt. When that arm gets cocked back, you know he means business. I am a little fearful at times. He has a temper like someone I know. And it's NOT the author.  

Business or not, it's everything I can do to suppress the giggles.

I just want to scoop him up and squeeze him.

I know it's poor behavior. But it's so darn cute.

Every attempt at sparking his own independence radiates a smile from deep within my core. My little blue eyed boy is getting so big. Budding with personality.

His recent accomplishment... brushing his own teeth.

He watches Sissy stand on my little bench in the bathroom each night and brush her teeth. The other morning while I was getting ready, he pointed at the tooth brushes and attempted to climb up on the stool. I gave him a boost, turned on the water and handed him his tooth brush.

No demonstration needed.

He's been watching, taking notes and waiting for his chance to brush his own toofers.

He's so cute!

Such a big boy!

Well done Mr Blue Eyes!

Trading Horses For Balloons

The last two weeks have been like a dream. Not in a floating above the sky, flying with the birds kind of dream. More of a I-can't-believe-this-is-really-happening and I-can't-believe-that-I-actually-did-it kind of dream. Two weeks ago, I finally stood up for myself and decided I needed a drastic change in my life. I resigned from my position as the Youth & Family Programs and Marketing Coordinator for the Arabian Horse Association.

After six years with the Association, it was finally time to move on. I don't really want to dwell on the details, but sometimes enough, is enough. I have had my fill of sacred cows.

Regardless of the lows, I truly will miss this job. In a way, it was my once in a life time job. My entire life has revolved around horses. For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to submerge my whole self in the horse industry. Like every other teenage girl, I once dreamed of being a veterinarian.

In college, I thought I really wanted to be a professional horse trainer. I still fancy the idea but realize that for the average person, it doesn't really pay the bills, it's not always family friendly (especially for women), and it can physically be a really hard life. I did learn while I was a trainer that I loved working with people, especially kids, and their horses. At the tail end of my college days, I fell in love with 4-H and extension work. I really wanted to become a 4-H county agent. I was passionate about kids, horse and educational programs. Unfortunately, there weren't any open positions in Colorado when I graduated and I didn't want to relocate away from my family - okay, and Handy Man.

I spent some time managing a restaurant right after college, but I missed the horses. I was offered another training position and spent half a year working horses - I would rather be a drifter in a saddle than passing time behind a bar.

Somewhere along the way, I found myself getting hired for AHA as a Customer Service Representative. I assumed it would be just another stepping stone along my path of figuring out what I was going to do with my life. And it was. Only it was a step in the right direction. The direction of kids and horses.

Regardless of my frustrations and the problems at AHA, I have to say that I learned so much there. I was a part of so many great events. I met so many wonderful families. I was able to watch amazing horses. I made so many friends.

But most of all, I mentored some of the most accomplished, dedicated young equine enthusiasts around.

As I sift though my mind, nostalgia surrounds me and I can't help but know I am going to deeply, to the center of my core, miss it all.

I didn't get to attend the Derby, but I was able to visit Churchill Downs for the first time and take a few of my youth kids with me.

 This was probably my favorite place I got to visit, because of my job.

We toured the museum.

I raced a stallion out of the gates.

We saw Secretariats blanket of roses.

We stood at the rail, right at the finish line and were amazed at the feeling. And although it was quiet, the stands empty, by heart settled in my throat. 

A check of the old bucket list.

I met a lot of people along the way. Horsemen and women, industry professionals, breeders... I met so many people around the country and internationally - all because of the horse. 

I always enjoyed planning the March Board meeting every spring. I was able to show these kids from all over the US and Canada my home state. I chaperoned around 25 kids for three days and really get to now them. Over the years I took them on a tour of the equine facility at Colorado State University (my Alma Mater.)

Red Rocks Amphitheater was a hit the first time that I took this year's board there in March. 

The US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

Call me Wonder Woman... 

I even braved the Denver light rail system the last two years in order to haul 25+ teenage girls down town on a Friday night so we could have our Board Dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe Denver. 2011 was a sight. I was 7 months pregnant, all by myself, mother hen in full swing as I corralled a bunch of gawking, yapping girls down 16th Street. I was amazed I didn't end up in premature labor from the stress. 

Such a great group of kids I have been fortunate enough to get to know.

We laughed, they wore silly costumes...

I loved all of my youth kids. But I will have to admit that I am the most fond of my Youth Presidents over the years. I worked the closest with them and naturally became the closest with them and their families.

Kim, Annalise, Austin, Katie, Laura... Although I only shared a small window of their lives, I can't help but feel invested forever.

I met some of the most amazingly dedicated volunteers. Debbie (Annalise's mom) has been my right hand momma over the years. She served as Chair of the Youth Committee and waded through the trenches setting up Convention, organizing consignment sales and silent auctions and collecting hundreds of little plastic pigs out of the arena each year for the Flying Pig Toss.  

Nancy was my source of knowledge, my sounding board, my Sunshine, My Only Sunshine... She really did  always find a way to make me happy when skys were gray.

The fact was, with out Debbie, Nancy, Cindy, Stacey, Chuck, Kathy, Mary, and countless moms, I could never have done my job alone. They were my army. My volunteers. They are my friends.

Together, we made this Association FUN for its youth.

We helped them feel important. We affirmed that although they were "just kids" their thoughts, ambitions and ideas really DID MATER! They made a difference. They made positive changes that effected their Association through their AHYA Convention. They had a voice!

This was a day-in-the-life of my job for six years.

Friends.

Horses.

Kids.

Fun.

The second best part of my job was AHA's flexibility to take my family with me. As a new, young mother, twelve days is a long time to be away from a newborn. This was my greatest benefit as an employee. I will always value this. 

Without a doubt, this opportunity and benefit helped foster my Brown Eyed Girl's love for horses. 

Of course it was still work... thank God for Grandmas!

My Brown Eyed Girl's first Stick Horse Contest, Youth Nationals 2009.

Halloween at US Nationals.

She LOVED Stick Horse!

Even Mr Blue Eyes competed and won a blue ribbon.

I have spent the better part of the morning sorting and storing the personal items and files I acquired over the last six years of my professional life. It's so strange to think that I won't be headed down Parker Road in the morning. It seems so foreign. I am excited and yet I can't help but feel a little overwhelmed.

Not only did I quit my job, but I am taking the biggest leap of faith and jumping into an entirely different profession. A profession where there are no guarantees. A profession where you have to put in what you expect to get out. A profession of feast or famine. Starting tomorrow, I will be making my debut as a realtor.

I know I can do it. I have the greatest mentor a girl could dream of.

I am excited!

My heart will take a little time to make the shift. Kids. Horses. 

Thank you AHYA, the kids, volunteers, members and Arabian horses. I will always support you. And I will miss you!